Mistake 2: Staying in the wrong location

"My 80-year-old father and 76-year-old mother, who uses a cane,
have booked a prepaid room at a two-star hotel near the Rialto Bridge. Is there
an easy way for them to get to their cruise ship's shuttle bus at the Piazzale
Roma without walking?"

"We have a 6:30 a.m. flight from Marco Polo Airport. Will we
have a problem reaching the airport from a hotel on Giudecca at that hour?"

Our reply:
"You'd be much better off staying near the Piazzale Roma and catching the
5:00 a.m.
ATVO airport bus,
which would get you to the airport in 20 minutes."

In
Venice, where moving around the city usually requires walking (with many
footbridges to cross) or taking slow, expensive, and often crowded vaporetti
or water buses, it makes sense to stay near a convenient arrival and departure
point--especially if you're traveling with anything heavier than a carry-on bag.

Don't let a travel agent who's unfamilar with Venice make a
booking decision for you, and don't choose a hotel just because the rate looked
good on Orbitz or Expedia.

Tip: Our Venice
Hotel Directions pages make it easy to find your way to more than 170
hotels from taxi stands, bus stops, and waterbus piers. The pages include
step-by-step walking directions, maps, and booking links.